How To Play Texas Holdem Online
Texas Holdem is often described as the “Cadillac” of poker games and has skyrocketed in popularity since Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003. A game of skill, psychology and sheer guts, Hold’em is very easy to learn but takes a long time to master since there are so many intricacies of the game that can’t be taught by reading, only by playing like the UTG position of the cards. Unlike other forms of poker, Hold’em is quite unique in that unlike traditional games like Draw poker the range of hand possibilities is greatly increased. This means that there is a lot more action in the game and much more strategizing on what your opponent holds and whether or not they are bluffing a particular hand. In this article we will teach you how to play Texas Holdem with an overview including the rules, tips about how to play online, best starting hands and maximizing your starting bankroll.
The Rules of the Game
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- Hold’em is played at a table typically with as little as 2 and as many as 10 players
- During each round, a player is designated as the dealer (rotates clockwise around the table) and the play immediately to the left of the dealer is known as the small blind, and the player to their left is known as the big blind
- When a round begins, both the small and big blinds must post which means they will start out the pot at whatever limit the game is, for example $1/$2, $5/$10 and so on
- At this point, each player in the game is dealt two cards which are known as “hole cards”
- After all players at the table have their hole cards, the action is on the player immediately to the left of the big blind, who can fold, call (put in chips equal to the big blind), or make a raise
- Action continues around the table until it reaches the big blind who can check (if there has been no raises), fold if their have been or raise if they want to increase the size of the pot
- At this point, the dealer will deal 3 community cards onto the table known as the “Flop”
- Another round of betting commences with the remaining players in the hand until either everyone folds and there is one winner, it’s checked around the table or a raise is called
- After this, the dealer deals another single card known as the “Turn” onto the table
- Another betting round commences and if there are still players left the game proceeds
- At this point, the final card is dealt into the community cards known as the “River”
- There is now 5 community cards on the table as well as 2 hole cards that the players were originally dealt at the beginning of the hand
- Another round of betting commences and if any players remain after this betting round there is a “showdown” and players must expose the two hole cards they have in their hand
- These two cards are evaluated against the 5 community cards to make the best 5 card poker hand and whoever has the highest ranked hand is determined to be the winner of that game
- In Texas Hold’em, players don’t have to use both hole cards, for example if the table had the cards Ace, Ace, Ace, King, Queen and the players hole cards were Ace, 2 – the end result hand would be 4 of a kind (Aces) for this player with a King high
If you’re playing online poker, most of the mechanics of the game are taken care of for you. The software deals the cards, counts the bets and prompts the action, making it much easier than if you were playing at home with friends. It’s the ideal way to learn how to play Texas Hold’em.
Limit vs. No-Limit
There are two basic types of Texas Holdem that are typically played amongst players including Limit and No-Limit. As the names suggest, Limit Poker places a maximum wager that the player can place during each betting round. For example, in a $5/$10 limit game, in each betting round the player can only raise in increments of $5 on the flop and $10 on the turn and river up to a maximum of 4 times, with additional raising not allowed during play. Conversely, in No-Limit Poker, players are free to bet between the minimum blinds up to their entire chip stack at any point during the game. Because of the bigger pots and potential of more profitability with No-Limit it’s become much more popular than Limit which use to be the game of choice in the early days of poker.
About Playing Online
With the advent of online poker, both Limit and NL Texas Holdem really took off and there are tens of thousands of players online each and everyday taking a shot at the cash games. Playing online is a great way to learn the game since all of the poker sites offer free versions of their software where you can learn the rules and hone your skills before playing for real money. The online sites also offer bonuses when you sign up, usually 100% match on your first deposit up to a certain amount, which is a great way to get some extra bang for your buck and increase your bankroll. Another major advantage of playing online is the ability to multi-table, something you can’t do in a casino, which means you can open more than one game or tournament at once and get a lot more hands in than you would at a traditional land based poker game.
Heads Up Hold’em is a poker table game that you will find at some of the best online casinos. It is a variation of Texas Hold’em where your goal is to beat the dealer rather than other players. However, the game also has several bonus bets that you can make to try and score some huge wins. Let’s look at how to play the game.
How to Play Heads Up Hold’em
Heads Up Hold’em is a table poker game where the object is to make your best five-card hand using two hole cards and five community cards. Unlike traditional poker, the goal of this game is to beat the dealer. Payouts are based on whether you win the hand.
Prior to receiving cards, you must place an Ante and Odds wager. These are equal bets. You can also make side bets on Trips Plus and Pocket Bonus. Once you have placed your bets, you and the dealer will both receive hole cards.
After evaluating your cards, you can decide whether to Raise or check. If you Raise, you must place a bet of 3x your ante. After betting, the dealer will deal out all five community cards but will only expose the first three. This is the flop.
How To Play Texas Holdem Online With Friends
On the flop, you will again decide to check or Raise. If you raise, you’ll bet 2x your Ante. After betting is done, the dealer will expose the turn and river. Players can then choose to either fold their hand or play their hand at a bet equal to the Ante.
After players have made their decision, the dealer will show their cards. Dealers must qualify with at least a pair for standard bets to pay off. If the dealer does not qualify and the player wins the hand, the Ante pushes, the Play pays 1 to 1, and the Odds bet pushes. If the dealer does not qualify and wins the hand, the Ante pushes and the Play and Odds bets lose.
If the dealer qualifies and the player wins, the Ante and Play bets pay 1 to 1. The Odds bets push unless you make a straight or better.
Payouts On Odds and Side Bets
Odds will pay a bonus to you if you make a hand of a straight or better, regardless of if the dealer qualifies. Here the payout table for Odds bets:
- Royal Flush – 500 to 1
- Straight Flush – 50 to 1
- Four of a Kind – 10 to 1
- Full House – 3 to 1
- Flush – 3 to 2
- Straight – 1 to 1
Now if you make a straight or better and lose to the dealer, the Odds bet pays a bad beat. The bad beat pays the same for all hands except a flush and straight. A flush pays 8 to 1 while a straight pays 5 to 1. Any other hand will lose.
There are also a Pocket Bonus and Trips Bonus that you can play each hand. The Trips Bonus pays when you make trips or better while the Pocket Bonus pays when you have a pair or an Ace and a face card.
Here’s the payouts for the Trips Bonus:
- Royal Flush – 100 to 1
- Straight Flush – 40 to 1
- Quads – 30 to 1
- Full House – 8 to 1
- Flush – 7 to 1
- Straight – 4 to 1
- Trips – 3 to 1
Here are the payouts for the Pocket Bonus:
- Pocket Aces – 25 to 1
- Ace-Face Suited – 20 to 1
- Ace-Face – 10 to 1
- Pair – 5 to 1
Heads Up Hold’em a Fun Poker Table Game Variant
How To Play Texas Holdem Online With Friends
If you like to play poker table games like 3 Card Poker and Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker, then you should check out Heads Up Hold’em. The game is as close to normal Texas Hold’em as you’re going to get at an online casino and the bonus payouts make it a fun and profitable game to play.